Separate Reality
by DigiExpert
Summary: In another reality, where the war ended differently and Aaeru and Neviril never had to perform the Emerald, there lies a totally different ending. Neviril returns home to her family- Aaerif and "Aaeru Junior", as their daughter is playfully nicknamed.


**The idea for this fic randomly came to me last night and I really had to write it once I got it stuck in my head. It's meant to be a "what if?" fic and pretty AU. Basically, what if the war ended differently and Aaeru and Neviril were able to retire from being Sibyllae, journey to the Spring, and begin their lives as their chosen genders? There is no impending war and no loss. Basically, another time, another reality. Surprisingly, this fic was really easy to write once I sat down and despite it selecting genders for the pair, it was always the same girls inside. I really love how it turned out in the end, and I hope you enjoy it too.  
**

The door was flung open, and the girl ran inside. Her eyes lit up as she spied the person sitting at the small kitchen table and she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. "Mommy!" she shouted happily. "You're back!"

Neviril smiled tiredly across the table. The meetings she had been to had gone well in the end, but the deliberations had gone on longer than anticipated. She was glad to be home and to be back with her family. She picked up her daughter, the spitting image of her husband as a child. The straw blonde hair was pulled back into a single ponytail as the bright green eyes focused on her, a mischievous glint in them. Neviril held open her arms, pulling the girl onto her lap. "Amie, I've missed you," she whispered. "Where's your daddy?"

"In the river," answered Amie, giggling into Neviril's shirt.

The answer didn't surprise Neviril; it only piqued her curiosity as to how it had happened. "How did daddy end up in the river? Did you go swimming?" she asked, knowing they hadn't.

Amie giggled again. "No! Daddy was trying to catch me. He missed and fell in the river."

At that very moment, a dripping, sopping Aaerif poked his head in the front door. "That's not exactly the whole story. Aaeru Junior forgot the part about pushing daddy in."

Amie hid her face in her mother's shirt, suppressing her giggles at both her daddy's remark and his nickname for her.. Neviril hugged her close, suppressing her own giggles.

"I'm not Aaeru Junior, daddy! You're silly!"

"I'm going to go change," remarked Aaerif, doing his best to wring out the water before entered the house. He made his way toward the back bedroom, and Neviril watched him go. She had missed his antics more than anything.

When Aaerif returned, running his fingers through the wet strands, Neviril was in the kitchen fixing Amie a snack. Aaerif came up behind her as she cut the last of the apples, wrapping strong arms around her waist. He held her close, savoring the moment. Neviril leaned against him. "I missed you," she whispered softly.

"I missed you too," murmured Aaerif, kissing the side of her neck.

"Don't forget the apples!" called Amie.

Reluctantly, Aaerif pulled away so that Neviril could place the plate in front of Amie. Amie happily munched on the apples, and Neviril turned, returning to face Aaerif. She raised a hand and gently caressed his cheek. After they'd gone to the Spring together, Aaerif had quickly shot up in height until he was a few inches taller than Neviril. It was quite the reversal from when they were both girls. She leaned up, kissing him softly.

Surprisingly, Amie didn't interrupt them, allowing them to share in the moment of being together once again. Neviril pulled away, and when she looked into those eyes, she knew exactly what Aaerif would say next.

"Let's fly together," stated Aaerif. "Flying alone isn't the same as being with you. It's still our sky."

"When?"

"After Amie finishes her snack."

"Can I come too?"

Aaerif smiled at his daughter. "Sure. You can fly auriga with me."

"Can I control the Simile?"

"Maybe."

The trio headed to the large building behind their modest home. Aaerif unlocked the front door, setting aside the heavy padlock. Together, he and Neviril pulled open the large doors, revealing the two Similes that sat inside. One Simile was the one that had belonged to Aaerif's grandfather. The other was a two-seater Simile, custom made for the two as a wedding gift from Morinas and Wapourif. It had been well loved.

Though there was no gem, Wapourif had fashioned a fake gem to represent the feelings that had taken the pair high during their time as Sibyllae. Aaerif drew Neviril to him, and kissed her softly, carrying on the tradition. They each kissed the gem, and Neviril quietly offered her prayers to Tempus Spatium. Each climbed into their respective seats, Aaerif settling Amie in her lap. The hatches were closed as Aaerif started the craft. It had been designed so that the main controls were in the auriga seat, but the sagitta could also control the craft from their position as well. It replaced the controls for Ri Majons.

The familiar blue of the sky calmed Neviril. Tension and frayed nerves from her meetings began to disappear. It didn't matter to her that she still wore the same suit that she'd worn on the helical train home. It didn't matter that she was intellectually exhausted. Being in the sky refreshed and rejuvenated her. She heard giggling in the cockpit below her. "What are you two up to?" she called.

The answer was a sharp dive toward the ground. It took all Neviril had to keep from calling out, knowing that Aaerif had teamed up with Amie to tease her. As the ground loomed closer and closer, she had to remind herself that it was a joke, but she couldn't help calling out, "Dear, let's head back up into the sky."

In seconds, the Simile righted itself and began the climb back into the sky. "Did we get you, mommy?" asked Ami.

"Yes, Aaeru Junior," replied Neviril with a smile, knowing that the nickname would evoke a response.

"Mommy!"

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm Amie, remember? Is your brain working right?"

"Always, Amie, always."

As the family walked back to the house, Neviril became lost in thought, remembering how Aaerif had truly become hers. It hadn't been easy, since Halconf hadn't approved of Neviril marrying well below her status, no matter how accomplished Aaerif had been as a Sibylla. Neviril had debated with him over the issue, refusing to give in to her father's wishes. She was no longer a child, and it wasn't up to him to decide what was best for her so that it would reflect well on himself. Despite his protests, Neviril had married her love and still become accomplished within the theocracy of Simulacrum.

"Neviril?"

Aaerif's voice brought her back to the present. She noticed both her husband and daughter staring at her and realized that she'd let herself daydream again. Amie sat upon Aaerif's shoulders. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was remembering something from years ago." She slipped her arm through Aaerif's. 'Let's go for a walk."

"What were you remembering?" asked Aaerif, looking down at her.

"How my father hated that I was going to marry you."

Grinning, Aaerif replied, "He tried to keep you from seeing me."

"He didn't know you were skilled in scaling the walls of the house. Don't you remember the look on his face when he found you in my room?"

"Of course. Then he chased after me. He was pretty fast in that wheelchair of his."

"Aaerif!"

Suppressing a laugh, Aaerif grew more serious. "Your father was a good man. He soon liked me. He blessed our marriage before he passed away."

"I know. I only wish he could have met his granddaughter." Neviril smiled up at Amie.

"Grandpa's up in the sky, too, right?" asked Amie. "He's lucky. He gets to fly all the time."

Aaerif wrapped an arm around Neviril's waist, pulling her closer. He knew that the topic of Neviril's father was still a sensitive topic, no matter how she tried to hide it. Age had allowed him to begin to pick up on some things that upset Neviril more easily. He felt her body shake slightly, and gently rubbed her back. Aaerif smiled up at his daughter. "Of course he gets to. Some day, we'll all fly like that. For now, we'll just use the Simile."

That evening, long after Amie had been placed in bed, Neviril and Aaerif lay in their own bed, merely enjoying the company of the other. Aaerif had his hands behind his head and Neviril rested her head on his bare chest. She sighed, contented. The entire day had felt like a dream, one that she wished would never end. "Aaerif?"

"Hmm?" Aaerif turned his head and looked down at his wife.

"Thank you, for earlier…how did you know?"

Aaerif rolled so that Neviril could see his face. "I knew your father was important to you, even if his decisions didn't make sense to us as Sibyllae. He loved you, and you loved him. He was special to you and even though Amie didn't mean to, she upset you." He kissed her forehead.

"When did you become versed in love?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure. I guess you taught me something about that."

Neviril leaned up and kissed Aaerif softly. "Don't change on me too much. I might not recognize you."

"You don't have to worry about that," replied Aaerif, kissing her back as he pulled Neviril close against him. Beneath the darkness of the night, they consecrated their love once more, creating yet another memory that would be treasured between the two of them.


End file.
